Colton stepped in, snatching Caroline’s hands away. “I don’t think he wants to be touched.”
“Well, he’s going to pass out if he doesn’t start breathing,” Noel yelled.
They crowded in so close to me, suffocating me, my breathing only grew worse.
“Yo! Back up off him.” Ten grabbed Noel and Colton by their shirt collars and hauled them backward. “Give the kid some fucking space.”
When my three siblings scurried a good five feet away, I bowed my head and rested my hands on my knees until I thought I could control my breathing. But when I looked up, I saw it in the gap of space between Colton and Ten.
The silver gleaming wheel from a wheelchair.
My breathing stopped altogether, dread taking on a new dimension, as my gaze crawled up, barely seeing Sarah’s pale face from where she sat in the doorway of the kitchen, her expression full of horrified shock.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “No, no, no.”
She’d heard...she’
d heard everything.
Unable to take this, I shoved past Noel and stumbled toward the exit, tripping out the door in my rush to leave.
This was it, the ultimate worst moment ever.
Sarah knew.
Sarah knew what I’d done. My life was over.
My mind blanked out, and I wasn’t sure what happened next. I just knew I ran, ran until I tripped and fell, and then I cowered in the darkening evening, letting the shadows consume me.
SARAH
As Brandt staggered from the house, I covered my mouth with both hands, feeling...I’m not even sure.
Devastated, heartbroken, enraged at his mother, scared for him, shitty for scaring him off with my mere presence, and just...pretty much every other awful emotion ever invented, plus maybe a couple that hadn’t been yet.
But what the hell had just happened? My best friend on earth had been molested by his mother, and I’d never even had a clue? How had I never been able to guess that? I had to be the worst friend ever.
And—oh God—from Colton’s description, I’d pretty much reenacted what had happened to him all those years ago last night.
I felt sick to my stomach. I wanted to vomit, bawl, and then rinse and repeat.
Around me, silence filled the kitchen before Noel cursed and started toward the door, after Brandt.
“No.” Caroline caught his arm. “I should go. He and I are the closest.”
“What the hell ever,” Colton broke in. “You don’t know him like I do. I’ll go. I started this, anyway. I need to apologize.”
“Neither of you are going,” Noel growled. “I’m the oldest and a surrogate parent to him. I’m going.”
“Maybe none of you should go,” I said, making all three of Brandt’s siblings scowl at me. I cringed into my wheelchair and in a smaller voice added, “I just...I really think he’d appreciate some time to himself right now.”
“Hot Wheels is right.” Ten nodded, picking up Teagan from the floor to rest her on his hip. “She should go.”
“Me? What? No!” I lifted my hands. “That’s not what I said at all.”
Seeing me was what had frightened Brandt away in the first place. I was probably the last person on the planet he wanted to talk to. Especially after last night.
God, he must hate me.